Demand from patients who need to be seen outside of regular business hours is being met by a physician consultation company, Ringadoc. Aditi Pai of Mobihealthnews.com reports “Ringadoc connects patients to doctors if they want to avoidd using their physiciand’s call system. Others who don’t have a physician might also be able to use the service to help them decide whether they should go to the emergency room, the urgent care center, or whether the issue might be handled over the phone.” Ringadoc works on a subscription basis starting at $69 a month for unlimited calls and messages with one provider.

The overall goal is to avoid “millions of in-person trips to see a doctor for everything from a fever to a potential concussion.” Oftentimes serious injuries and/or health conditions come at an inconvenient moment: “When it’s midnight on a Saturday and your child has a fever of 101, waiting …to see a primary care physician is not an option.” In this way, Ringadoc’s mission is to “connect doctors, patients, and data to drive better health and save lives.”

Based out of Los Angeles, California, Ringadoc have now been acquired by a web-based electronic health records (EHR) company, Practice Fusion, which is located in San Francisco.

The integration of the two “won’t be PracticeFusion’s first foray in enabling remote care services,” according to Mobi Health News. “At the end of last year, Practice Fusion also raised another $15 million, bringing its latest round of funding up to $85 million.”